"The Azure Yuan Art is indeed holding me back. Looks like it's time for another trip to Flame City."
Lin Dong thought it over. He needed to make time for another trip to Flame City and visit the Ten-Thousand Gold Merchant Association. There, he could buy a second-rate Cultivation Method to replace the Azure Yuan Art, such as the Three Yang Art, which could open fifteen Meridians.
Why not buy a First-rate Manual? Flame City had no first-rate Cultivation Manuals to begin with. In the Great Yan Dynasty, only top-tier powers such as the Four Great Clans and the imperial family possessed them.
The problem was that Lin Dong's funds were insufficient. Although he could exchange Ancestral Stone Spirit Liquid for some Yang Yuan Stones, that would cover only his basic daily expenses—a drop in the bucket.
After all, in the original storyline, Lin Dong spent fifty thousand Yang Yuan Stones—five thousand Yang Yuan Pills—to buy the second-rate Cultivation Manual, the Three Yang Art.
"Where am I supposed to find five thousand Yang Yuan Pills? Ironwood Manor does have a Yang Yuan Stone Mine, but it is currently in the hands of the Lei Family."
For a moment, Lin Dong found himself at a loss.
"Heh heh, are you wondering where to find a high-Grade Cultivation Manual? If you don't know, why not ask me?"
Little Marten extended a claw to scratch his nose and flashed a mysterious grin.
"Hm? You have a way?"
Lin Dong's head snapped up toward Little Marten hovering in midair. Little Marten was a Peak Death Profound Stage Expert, after all; how could he not have a few high-Grade Cultivation Manuals on hand?
"Of course I do. Although the cultivation method I practice was created by my clan's forebears and is extremely well-suited to my Sky Demon Marten Clan's practitioners, it might not necessarily suit you human experts."
"But when I, Lord Marten, was at the Nirvana Stage, I slew a human Five-Yuan Nirvana Stage Expert. The Cultivation Manual he practiced was first-rate, so I took it and kept it. I can give it to you today."
With a light wave of Little Marten's claw, an ancient tome flew out of the Ancestral Stone Space and drifted into Lin Dong's hands.
Lin Dong restrained his excitement and opened the ancient tome. Row after row of densely packed text leapt into view:
Pure Yang Art, a First-Rate Cultivation Manual, can open forty-five Meridians in the human body. Once cultivated to Great Accomplishment, it can form five self-sustaining qi vortexes within the skin and flesh.
Once the qi vortexes formed, they continued operating on their own even when the cultivator was not cultivating. They ceaselessly drew Yuan Power from heaven and earth.
The Yuan Power transformed by the Pure Yang Art was balanced and moderate. It could calm the mind and spirit, greatly reducing a Martial Artist's risk of Cultivation Deviation during practice. It also...
"Able to open a full forty-five meridians and carve out five qi vortexes—it really is worthy of being a first-rate cultivation manual."
After reading the Cultivation Manual from beginning to end, Lin Dong let out a heartfelt sigh. Compared with it, the Azure Yuan Art passed down through his Lin Family was garbage—no, it was not even worthy of being called garbage.
"Of course. Look who gave it to you—how could anything from Lord Marten be inferior?" Little Marten raised his head, sounding smug.
"The Stone Talisman Space can help refine Martial Cultivation Techniques. Let me see if the Pure Yang Art can be further refined and perfected."
A thought struck Lin Dong, and he brought Little Marten along with him into the Ancestral Stone Space.
"It's possible, sure, but let me warn you—a first-rate cultivation manual is already far more refined compared to the garbage second- and third-rate ones. The Stone Talisman Space probably won't be able to improve it by much."
Little Marten stepped back, letting Lin Dong do his thing.
"Heh, even a mosquito's leg is still meat, isn't it."
As Lin Dong's Spiritual Power converged, the space before him twisted, and a beam of light and shadow slowly took form before the two of them.
The life-sized silhouette matched Lin Dong's proportions. Its body was filled with dense, chaotic Meridians. As the dazzling tangle faded, only forty-five faintly glowing Meridians remained.
The forty-five Meridians arranged themselves into an orderly pattern, forming a closed loop amid the chaos. The circulation path ended at the Dantian in the silhouette's lower abdomen.
Five clusters of faintly glowing qi vortexes formed in the silhouette's limbs and chest. As they writhed, they seemed to draw in energy from outside on their own.
"These must be the forty-five Meridians and five great qi vortexes recorded in the Pure Yang Art. But how much further can the Ancestral Stone refine it?"
Under Lin Dong's eager gaze, the silhouette formed five additional Meridians and two additional qi vortexes out of nothing. Then it fell completely still.
"Whew~ Gaining five more meridians and two more qi vortexes isn't bad at all. Just the Yuan Power absorption speed of fifty meridians alone is a full six times faster than the refined Azure Yuan Art's seven meridians."
Lin Dong studied the silhouette before him, trying to memorize the refined Pure Yang Art's exact circulation path.
"Little Marten, I'm off to cultivate the Pure Yang Art. I can't wait any longer to replace that garbage Azure Yuan Art."
After memorizing it, Lin Dong left those words behind and hurried out of the Ancestral Stone Space.
Cultivating a manual could not be done overnight. A Martial Artist had to absorb Yuan Power into the body and open, one by one, the hidden circulation paths recorded in the manual.
Each opened Meridian increased a cultivator's rate of Yuan Power absorption. Mastering them required slow, painstaking effort.
For example, Lin Zhentian spent six months fully mastering the Lin Family's third-rate Inheritance, the Azure Yuan Art, while Lin Xiao took three months.
For Lin Dong to master the first-rate Cultivation Manual Pure Yang Art, even his unrivaled Innate Talent would not reduce the time below two or three months.
"Tch, that little brat. He used Lord Marten and tossed him aside, just like that. If this were the old days, I, Lord Marten, would definitely..."
Little Marten muttered a few words under his breath. Drowsiness overcame him, and he found a spot nearby before drifting into sweet dreams.
.....
Time flew as Lin Dong cultivated. Four months passed in a flash. During that time, he fully mastered the Pure Yang Art and advanced his Yuan Power Cultivation to the late Lesser Yuan Dan Realm.
Qingyang Town welcomed the New Year, the first day of the new year, and the once-every-three-years Hunting Competition—the grandest event within a hundred miles.
The Hunting Competition was scheduled for the first day of the new year at the Beast Horn Arena outside Qingyang Town. The arena, which covered dozens of miles of forest, remained unchanged from previous years.
By the time the sun rose high, the various powers and crowds from Qingyang Town and the surrounding areas had reached the Beast Horn Arena. They filled all the tens of thousands of stone seats around its perimeter.
In the stands, at the section belonging to the Lin Family.
"Father, Grandfather seems to have entered the Yuan Dan Realm. His Cultivation did not progress this quickly before. Did you secretly refine a few Pure Yuan Pills for him?"
Seated beside Lin Xiao, Lin Dong glanced at Lin Zhentian, who sat smiling amid the Lin Family's higher-ups. A thought struck him.